Fish4 casts its net with software stake

FISH4 - the online classified advertising website part-owned by the Guardian Media Group, publisher of the Manchester Evening News - is participating in a new venture to create industry standard technology for the medium.

FISH4 - the online classified advertising website part-owned by the Guardian Media Group, publisher of the Manchester Evening News - is participating in a new venture to create industry standard technology for the medium.

Fish4, which is also owned by Newsquest Media Group, Northcliffe Newspapers Group, and Trinity Mirror, has taken a 25 per cent stake in FinnTech, and will be committing a minimum of é3m to the project over the next three years.

Online classified services in the UK, Norway, Sweden and Belgium already use the FinnTech technology, which has been developed for European newspaper publishers who are looking for a proven solution to power their classified websites.

Over the next 12 months, fish4 will adopt the FinnTech website software to power its own classified jobs, homes and cars services - fish4homes.co.uk, fish4jobs.co.uk and fish4cars.co.uk.

fish4 CEO Jonathan Turpin says that both the consumer and fish4's commercial partners will benefit: "Anyone searching for a new job, home or car will benefit from a quicker and more accurate search service.

"Advertisers will benefit from substantial new functionality that will allow them to enhance their advertisements, providing greater control and flexiblity, better targeting of potential customers, and in-depth management information.

"Not only does Finntech open up revenue generating opportunities on a European level. Our involvement with FinnTech gives us a further competitive edge in the UK market and is testament to our long term commitment to the online classifieds business."